The decision to allow bars and nightclubs to stay open around the clock during the week of Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration could have violent consequences, critics say.
Despite promises from Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier to control all corners of the city, worries abound that her staff will be overtaxed and that extra forces in town for the inauguration won’t be on night duty.
“The police aren’t going to be available,” said Councilman Phil Mendelson, who voted against the bill Tuesday night. “They’ll have their hands full with crowd control and that many people in the city, and now they want to add liquor to that?”
Mendelson said he received an e-mail from Mayor Adrian Fenty’s office saying the original bill did not receive consultation from the police department, and that the 4,000 extra officers in town would work only for the inauguration itself.
“We do need the police for this to work, and we may need more police for this to work,” said Councilman Jim Graham, who sponsored the bill and represents the nightlife-packed Adams Morgan neighborhood. The final version of the bill, passed 9-4 on Tuesday night, included nightclubs in the 24-hour festivities, though proprietors will have to temporarily halt alcohol sales at 5 a.m.
Fenty, as well as several council members, opposed the addition of the city’s more than 20 nightclubs because of their size. The largest ones can hold 3,000 people.
Despite his initial concerns, a spokesman for the mayor said he’s likely to sign the bill.
Anthony Anderson, editor of Velocity magazine tracking D.C.’s club scene, said the 5 a.m. cutoff may be most harmful in places farthest from the inaugural festivities.
“I think that Mayor Fenty and Chief Lanier are going to do the best they can where they need to do the best they can,” Anderson said, adding that police will likely focus on tourist zones downtown and near the Capitol.
“But in places east of the Potomac River, or along Benning Road, and out on the streets — that’s where the presence will need to be.”
